The Trial Chamber 1 of the Intemational Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, composed of Judge Yakov A. Ostrovsky (presiding), Judge Lennart Aspegren and Judge Navanethem Pillay, convened on Thursday 26 September 1996 to review the preliminary motion submitted by the Prosecutor for the protection of witnesses in relation to the trial against Georges Anderson Nderumbumwe Rutaganda.

The Prosecutor had seized the Tribunal on 23 August 1996 so that protection measures be taken for the witnesses of the Rutaganda case. After having heard the parties concerned, the Trial Chamber decided to take the following measures:

1) The names, addresses, whereabouts and other identifying data concerning the persons given pseudonyms in the indictment and the supporting documents shall not be disclosed to the public or the media.

2) The public and the media shall not photograph, video record, or sketch witnesses while entering the Tribunal building, exiting from the Tribunal building, or while they are in the Tribunal building, without the leave of the Trial Chamber and parties.

3) That the names, addresses, whereabouts and other identifying data concerning the witnesses rererred to in the supporting documents and/or any disclosed witness statements shall be divulged neither to the media, the public nor the defence until such time that the witesses are brought under the protection of the Tribunal.

4) The names, addresses, whereabouts and other identifying information concerning the witnesses shall be sealed and not included in any Tribunal public records.

5) To the extent that any names, addresses, whereabouts of, and identifying information concerning the witnesses is contained in existing public records, those names, addresses, whereabouts of and identifying information concerning the witnesses be expunged from those documents.

6) The pseudonyms given to the witnesses in the indictment and supporting documents shall be used whenever referring to those witnesses in the Tribunal proceedings and discussions among the parties to trial.

7) The Prosecutor shall disclose the names and unredacted statements of the witnesses to the defence in sufficient time to allow the defence to prepare for trial, subject to Rule 69.

The day before, the Tribunal had rejected a request for the provisional relese of Georges A. Rutaganda, but it decided that the date of the beginning of the trial be postponed to 6 March 1997.